The United Arab Emirates is a country that is made up of seven emirates. Those are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, and Umm al-Qaiwain. While the country as a whole has a prime minister and federal president, each emirate has its own ruler that oversees the local governments. The UAE was established in 1971, and since that time, it has seen great population growth. Its largest city is Dubai, which has reached the one million resident milestone with a population of 1.1 million. However, there are other cities within the UAE that have high population counts.
The second most populous city, Abu Dhabi, has over 600,000 residents. There are four additional cities with populations that have surpassed 100,000. Seven cities have populations that are between 10,000 and 100,000, while remaining cities and towns make up the remainder of the population.
The UAE has developed from a juxtaposition of Bedouin tribes to one of the world's most wealthy states in only about 50 years. Between 2000 and 2018, average real gross domestic product growth was at close to 4%. It is the second largest economy in the GCC , with a nominal gross domestic product of US$414.2 billion, and a real GDP of 392.8 billion constant 2010 USD in 2018. Since its independence in 1971, the UAE's economy has grown by nearly 231 times to 1.45 trillion AED in 2013. The non-oil trade has grown to 1.2 trillion AED, a growth by around 28 times from 1981 to 2012.
Backed by the world's seventh-largest oil deposits, and thanks to considerate investments combined with decided economic liberalism and firm Government control, the UAE has seen their real GDP more than triple in the last four decades. Nowadays the UAE is one of the world's richest countries, with GDP per capita almost 80% higher than OECD average. It occupied 8th place globally and first in the Middle East on the list of the most advanced countries in the tourism and aviation sectors, according to the 2013 travel and tourism competitiveness report, having risen two places since 2011. Dubai is the most populous and the largest emirate in the UAE with approximately 2,502,715 people. Notably, it is the most progressive emirate among the seven emirates. Despite being a desert, the country has managed to utilize its resources and according to the 2015 statistics, it has an annual GDP of 105.6 billion USD.
Unlike its neighboring emirates such as Abu Dhabi, the oil reserves of Dubai have been exhausted; oil contributes only 2 % of the total GDP of this emirate. Although it started as a port, Dubai has developed into a luxurious emirate that is home to the world's tallest building. In addition, the UAE ranked among the top five countries worldwide in 35 indicators in the new global report, which consists of 330 indicators.
The UAE ranked 8th globally in Global Competitiveness for the second consecutive year, outranking countries such as Denmark and Norway. Apart from being the capital city, it is also the second largest emirate in the world with an approximate population of 1.6 million people. Abu Dhabi is classified as one of the wealthiest cities in the world with most of its revenue originating from petroleum products.
This emirate accounts for approximately two-thirds of the UAE economy. Unlike Dubai which is more Westernized, Abu Dhabi is more into cultural traditions. Abu Dhabi is also a major tourist attraction state where most people visit for cultural reasons such as to visit the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, have fun on the sandy beaches, visit the Yas Island and the famous Ferrari World Abu Dhabi. As impressive as economic growth has been in the UAE, the total population has increased from just around 550,000 in 1975 to close to 10 million in 2018.
This growth is mainly due to the influx of foreign workers into the country, making the national population a minority. The UAE features a unique labour market system, in which residence in the UAE is conditional on stringent visa rules. This system is a major advantage in terms of macroeconomic stability, as labour supply adjusts quickly to demand throughout economic business cycles. Islam is the official religion and Arabic is the official language.
The United Arab Emirates' oil and natural gas reserves are the world's sixth and seventh-largest, respectively. Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, ruler of Abu Dhabi and the country's first president, oversaw the development of the Emirates by investing oil revenues into healthcare, education, and infrastructure. The United Arab Emirates has the most diversified economy among the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council. In the 21st century, the country has become less reliant on oil and gas, and is economically focusing on tourism and business. The government does not levy income tax, although there is a corporate tax in place and a 5% value-added tax was established in 2018.
The UAE also achieved the 3rd rank globally in financial government policy, 4th globally in administrative practices, and 8th globally in labour market flexibility. At the same time, the UAE is one of the countries in the world that most attract employment and residency, due to the security and stability in the country, and its good reputation. The UAE ranked first regionally and third globally on the list of top 10 countries for residence, and 24th globally in the index of best expatriate destinations, in the report issued by the Expat Insider for the year 2014. The UAE also ranked 1st globally in peaceful coexistence among nationalities, with people from over 200 countries residing here, according to the report of the UN International Organization for Peace, Care and Relief for 2014. The UAE ranked 2nd globally in attracting and receiving foreign investments, according to a 2014 report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development .
The report noted continued high inflows of foreign investments to the UAE for the fourth consecutive year. It made particular reference to the UAE's economic elasticity, the possibilities and capacities it provides in the field of business, and its developmental performance. Over the past decade, the UAE has ranked among the top countries in human development reports issued by the annual United Nations Development Programme. It also ranked second regionally, and 41st globally among 157 countries, in the Human Development report for 2013.
In the Human Development Index, which includes 47 countries, it shared 41st place with Lithuania. This index, which measures the average achievements in basic aspects of human development. Since the discovery of oil, the GCC region has undergone a profound transformation and is now home to some of the fastest growing economies in the world. Today, the governments of the GCC countries undertake successful efforts to diversify their economies away from dependence on hydrocarbon industries. These diversified growth sectors, such as finance, logistics, aviation, communications, healthcare and tourism provide abundant business opportunities. Liberal climates towards foreign cooperation, investment and modernization result in extensive diplomatic and commercial relations with other countries.
Ras al-Khaimah is situated to the northern part of the UAE, bordering part of Oman's territory, the Musandam. The population of this emirate is 205,000 people, and the Emirati citizens are the largest group. Ras al-Khaimah does not have any oil, and it has, therefore, focused on advancing its industrial sector. The primary economic areas of Khaimah include real estate, tourism, building materials, service sector, and agriculture. The most recognized types of attraction in this emirate include shopping, nature, parks, water, and amusement parks.
The capital city of this emirate is also referred to as Ras al-Khaimah and it is a home to most of the citizens of Ras al-Khaimah emirate. Despite being the smallest emirate, Ajman is the fourth most populous state in the UAE with about 258,000 people. The major tourist attractions in this area include cultural destinations, hotels, and shopping malls. The city hosts the Ruler's office, several banks, and approximately fifty local and international retail shops.
Ajman was founded in 1803 after Sheik Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuami conquered the coastal settlements. The President and Prime Minister are elected by the Federal Supreme Council. Usually, a sheikh from Abu Dhabi holds the presidency and a sheikh from Dubai the prime minister-ship. All prime ministers but one have served concurrently as vice president.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is the UAE founding father and widely credited for unifying the seven emirates into one country. He was the UAE's first president from the nation's founding until his death on 2 November 2004. On the following day the Federal Supreme Council elected his son, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to the post. Human occupation has been traced back to the emergence of anatomically modern humans from Africa some 124,000 BCE through finds at the Faya-2 site in Mleiha, Sharjah. Burial sites dating back to the Neolithic Age and the Bronze Age include the oldest known such inland site at Jebel Buhais. Known as Magan to the Sumerians, the area was home to a prosperous Bronze Age trading culture during the Umm Al Nar period which traded between the Indus Valley, Bahrain and Mesopotamia as well as Iran, Bactria and the Levant.
The ensuing Wadi Suq period and three Iron Ages saw the emergence of nomadism as well as the development of water management and irrigation systems supporting human settlement in both the coast and interior. The Islamic age of the UAE dates back to the expulsion of the Sasanians and the subsequent Battle of Dibba. The UAE' history of trade led to the emergence of Julfar, in the present-day emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, as a regional trading and maritime hub in the area. The maritime dominance of the Persian Gulf by Emirati traders led to conflicts with European powers, including the Portuguese Empire and the British Empire. The UAE ranked 30th globally out of the 139 countries covered in the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness report for 2011, issued by the World Economic Forum, while it maintained first place in the Middle East in the travel and tourism sector.
11.2 million tourists visited the UAE in 2012, according to the Forum, which predicted a rise to 18.8 million tourists in 2022. Total tourist spending in the UAE reached Dh111bn, and is expected to reach Dh113.8bn by 2022. Over the years, the country has gone through several key demographic changes. The discovery of oil gave momentum to the economy of the country. Recently, the UAE government has also been promoting a tourism and knowledge-based economy to spur the economic momentum.
Today, Dubai ranks among the most visited cities of the world, ranking 6th with 16 million visitors in 2017, as per thisisinsider.com. The city houses federal government offices and serves as the seat of the UAE Government. Nearly 95% of the oil and 92% of the gas in the country are in this Emirate, making it the wealthiest Emirate. When considering other entries in the list of city wise population distribution of UAE, Sharjah emerges a distant third from the big two with 1.51 million people. Sharjah's close proximity to Dubai and much lower living costs can be attributed as reasons for its growth.
With a total population of 68,000 people, Umm al-Quwain is the least populous state in the UAE. Unlike the other emirates, Quwain has not made any findings of oil products or gas. Therefore, its economy majorly relies on revenue collected from hotels, tourism, and parks. After joining forces, the UAE has grown to become a significant economic center in the Middle East. This exportation has led to a much-diversified economy making most of the seven emirates such as Dubai to transform into global hubs for retail, finance, and tourism. Annually, each emirate allocates a certain percentage of their revenue to the central budget of the UAE.
The seven emirates have developed differently over the last decade as described below. Historically the domain of individual Arab clans and families, the region now comprising the emirates also has been influenced by Persian culture owing to its close proximity to Iran, and its porous maritime borders have for centuries invited migrants and traders from elsewhere. In the 18th century, Portugal and the Netherlands extended their holdings in the region but retreated with the growth of British naval power there; following a series of truces with Britain in the 19th century, the emirates united to form the Trucial States . The states gained autonomy following World War II (1939–45), when the trucial states of Bahrain and Qatar declared independent statehood.
The rest were formally united in 1971, with the city of Abu Dhabi serving as the capital. The education system through secondary level is monitored by the Ministry of Education in all emirates except Abu Dhabi, where it falls under the authority of the Abu Dhabi Education Council. The public schools are government-funded and the curriculum is created to match the United Arab Emirates' development goals. The medium of instruction in the public school is Arabic with emphasis on English as a second language.
There are also many private schools which are internationally accredited. Public schools in the country are free for citizens of the UAE, while the fees for private schools vary. The UAE's monetary policy stresses stability and predictability, as the Central Bank of the UAE keeps a peg to the US Dollar and moves interest rates close to the Federal Funds Rate. This policy makes sense in the current situation of global and regional economic and geopolitical uncertainty. In the mid- to long term, however, the peg will become less important, as the UAE transitions to a knowledge-based economy – and becomes yet more independent from the oil and gas sector .
In a 22 July 2020 news piece, Reuters reported human rights groups as saying conditions had deteriorated because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many migrant workers racked up debt and depended on the help of charities. The report cited salary delays and layoffs as a major risk, in addition to overcrowded living conditions, lack of support and problems linked with healthcare and sick pay. Reuters reported at least 200,000 workers, mostly from India but also from Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Nepal, had been repatriated, according to their diplomatic missions.
The Prime Minister, who is appointed by the Federal Supreme Council, appoints the ministers. The Council of Ministers is made up of 22 members and manages all internal and foreign affairs of the federation under its constitutional and federal law. In December 2019, the EAU became the only Arab country, and one of only five countries in the world, to attain gender parity in a national legislative body, with its lower house 50 per cent women.
The UAE was ranked 1st among Arab countries and 6th globally in the world economic elasticity index, issued by the Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development in December 2013. The UAE figures among the countries at the top of several regional and international reports recording people's happiness and contentment indicators. As the second UN World Happiness report for 2013, the latest such index, revealed, not only did the UAE maintain its top place among Arab countries, but also advanced three places globally to 14th place in terms of indicators of happiness and contentment of world populations.
The UAE currently boasts the second-fastest vaccine campaign globally, after Israel, in terms of vaccine doses per capita. According to the country's health ministry, roughly 11.5 million vaccine doses have been administered as of Monday. Emirates in the country have authorized Sinopharm, Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Russia's Sputnik V vaccines for use, though the jabs available vary between emirates.
Dubai is the second-largest emirate in the country with an area of 4,114 sq. Located in the southwest corner of the Arabian Gulf, it is hailed as a global business hub and the commercial capital of the UAE. Though the local population is Muslim, there are Christian, Hindu and Sikh communities. China – China already had stringent border controls in place, with only citizens and resident permit holders allowed into the country. Hong Kong banned non-Hong Kong residents arriving from South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe. On Monday it expanded the list to include Angola, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Zambia, and then non-residents who had been to Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Israel, and Italy in the past 21 days.
The European Union's Council has added Indonesia to its list of epidemiologically safe third countries after the country marked a drop in the number of Coronavirus cases in its territory. Council's decision means that now the Member States are advised to remove the entry ban on the residents of Indonesia, both vaccinated and non-vaccinated, as soon as possible. Just 14% live in rural areas and towns, while the remaining 86% live in the urbanized cities within the seven emirates. The UAE has seen a steady pattern of growth through the years, which is expected to slow down in the near future.
Some experts also anticipate that the economy will be slowing down. Only time will tell how the growth of these major cities and the population that resides within them will change in the future. Ras Al Khaimah is the fourth-largest emirate in the country, spanning an area of 1700 square kilometers. Notably, about 50 percent of its population are nationals, or Emiratis.
